Introducing our chicken and squash recipe, a hearty, crowd-pleasing baked dish that will help you beat the winter's chill.
This fail-proof recipe gives you a diverse experience of flavors and textures. Succulent chicken, fork-tender squash, meaty mushrooms, browned onions, and starchy chickpeas are seasoned and baked to perfection for an earthy, savory dish.
After 40 minutes of prepping and cooking, coming out of the oven is a steamy, tasty chicken goodness ready for the taste test!
Ingredients You'll Need
Here are what you’ll need to cook up a sumptuous chicken and squash dish:
- Chicken: The simplicity and versatility of chicken breast explain why it features in lots of our healthy recipes, from stews and soups to pan-seared and baked dishes. We recommend butterflying the chicken breasts so that the flesh has a uniform thickness, allowing the heat to distribute more evenly. No more overcooked and rubbery chicken breasts!
- Squash: We chose Kabocha squash, also known as Japanese pumpkin, for its sweet, buttery flavor with hints of roasted chestnut. If Kabocha squash is out of stock, you can use other alternatives like butternut squash, pumpkin, or sweet potatoes.
- White mushrooms: When cooked, white mushrooms give an umami flavor followed by a subtle earthiness. However, if you want to add a more noticeable sweet-tangy taste and vibrant hue to your baked chicken, go with cherry tomatoes.
- Chickpeas: Baking infuses the chickpeas with an extra layer of smokiness, which helps enhance their natural nutty flavor.
- Red onion: Roasted red onions won’t possess a pungent flavor that some picky eaters may find unpleasant. Instead, it has a caramelized-like taste with slightly crispy edges.
- Seasonings: Since baking is about enjoying the ingredients’ natural flavor, we only season the dish with a handful of pantry staples: garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper.
Is Chicken and Squash Healthy?
Our chicken and squash recipe, featuring a long list of nutritious ingredients, deserves to be on your diet meal plan.
Let’s get into the details!
We pair chicken breast, one of the leanest chicken cuts, with kabocha squash, white mushrooms, red onions, and chickpeas—forming a spectacular nutrition profile.
Chicken breast is a rich source of complete protein, while vegetables provide an abundance of dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins, especially vitamin A. Specifically, you will gain 40.8 g of high-quality protein per serving, up to 82% of the recommended daily intake.
Besides, we go light-handed on the seasonings and grease to ensure the calorie count, saturated fat, and sodium level fit the standards set by our nutrition guidelines. They are kept at 482 calories, 5.6 g, and around 581 mg, respectively.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Portion your leftover chicken and squash into different air-tight containers, label the storage date to keep track, and store them in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also transfer them into freezer-friendly bags and freeze them for 2-3 months.
When it’s time to serve, place your leftovers on a baking tray, add a tablespoon of olive oil, and bake them at 360°F for 10 minutes.
What to Serve With Chicken and Squash
- Healthy Watermelon Arugula Salad recipe
- Spinach Salad recipe
- Kale Salad recipe
- Caprese Salad recipe
- Lettuce Salad recipe
Chicken and Squash Recipe
Today's chicken and squash recipe, presenting tender chicken breasts, kabocha squash, white mushrooms, chickpeas, and red onions, is a fuss-free and hassle-free main course. Shall we learn how to make it?
- cook TIME 33 mins
- prep TIME 7 mins
- total TIME 40 mins
- COURSE Main Dish
- CUISINE American, Global
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 481 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 24 ozskin-on, bone-in chicken breast
- 24 ozkabocha squash (sliced)
- 8 ozwhite mushrooms
- 4 ozcanned chickpeas
- 4 ozred onion (cut into small chunks)
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 0.5 tsppaprika
- 1 tspgarlic powder
- 0.8 tspsalt
- 0.5 tspground black pepper
- 2 tbspparsley (chopped)
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep:
Place the chicken breast on a cutting board. From the long side of the chicken breast, slice the meat in half in a sawing motion, but leave about 1/4 inch so that the two pieces are still intact. Set it aside and repeat with the remaining pieces.
Cut off 1/4 inch from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top part of the kabocha squash. Slice it in half crosswise, peel away the skin, and scoop out the seeds and the stringy pulp. Lay each half cut-side down on a chopping board then cut it crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices.
Slice away the stem end and the root end, then peel away the skin of the red onion. Halve the peeled red onion lengthwise, then quarter each half into small chunks.
Finely chop the fresh parsley.
Cook:
Season the vegetables: Spread 24 oz sliced kabocha squash, 8 oz white mushrooms, and 4 oz red onion onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. With a basting brush, brush 1 tbsp olive oil evenly onto the vegetables, then sprinkle in 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Mix well.
Bake the vegetables: Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the baking tray with vegetables on the middle rack of the oven and bake it at 450°F for 15 minutes.
Season the butterflied chicken breasts: On a large platter, add 24 oz skin-on, bone-in chicken breast, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Gently rub the seasoning onto both sides of the chicken breasts.
Bake the chickpeas and chicken breasts: Remove the baking tray from the oven and add 4 oz canned chickpeas. Meanwhile, transfer the well-seasoned chicken breasts onto another baking rack. Arrange the baking rack with chicken breast on the top rack and the baking tray with vegetables on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake them at 450°F for 15 minutes.
Garnish and serve: Remove the food from the oven. Transfer your desired portion onto a serving plate, garnish with 2 tbsp chopped parsley, and enjoy.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author